Police: Woman raped at gunpoint in Manassas area

WASHINGTON – A 31-year-old Herndon woman says she was raped at gunpoint Thursday night, and police in Prince William County are asking for the public’s help finding the suspect.

The woman told police she was walking to a friend’s home when a man with a handgun forced her into a secluded area behind a townhome on Vermont Place in the Manassas area.

Officers responded to the area of Maplewood Drive and Peakwood Court at 11:15 p.m. for the rape call. The woman was taken to the hospital.

Police used K-9 dogs and a helicopter to search for the man, who reportedly fled on foot after the abduction and attack. He was not found.

The suspect is described as a black man, about 5-foot-9. He was last seen wearing a black, puffy winter jacket, dark-gray jeans and a black-and-white bandana, police say.

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Solvers at 703-670-3700 or 1-866-411-TIPS.

Editor’s Note: Police have clarified the location where the victim says she was raped. They previously said it was reported to have happened in a wooded area near Maplewood Drive and Peakwood Court in the Manassas area.